Quite a few of us tend to let the so-called “bathroom essentials” pile up until we reach a point where it’s hard to accommodate them all within the available storage in our bathroom cabinets. However, for a more organized and clutter-free bathroom, we need to revisit bathroom cabinets and drawers to determine what we really need and the things we should let go.

Decluttering your bathroom will add to the overall aesthetics of your bathroom apart from making it easier for the bathroom users — for your family — to locate the item that they need. Often it’s about making sure to get the little things right — don’t overindulge, be practical, set up a routine, have your own style, and don’t go for ‘latest’ trends.

Declutter Your Bathroom Cabinets

From hair products to expired medications to extra towels, there are so many items that simply sit idle and consume the precious real estate in our bathroom. Avoid storing too many varieties of soaps, shampoos and other toiletries in your bathroom cabinet. Store only the type that you use during that season.

Separate Bathroom Cabinets

Depending on the size of your bathroom, separate bathroom cabinets for Him and Her will make sense as there will be the right soap and shampoo that you can even reach with your hands with your eyes closed.

Shop for the Essentials

Whether you shop online or offline for toiletries, it is better to keep in mind the products you really need. Retailers pushing large size products is a common phenomenon and giving stuff free is also a common practice. However, acquiring baby soaps for free or for a cheap price is of no use if there are no babies in your home.

Get Rid of the Expired

A major task to keep in mind to ensure your bathroom cabinet is clutter-free is to throw out items that have expired. This is not a major problem as long as you buy products such as shampoos in reasonably sized packs.

Keep Things Arranged

It helps to have things arranged in a nice and tidy fashion. Being tidy will let you keep track of how much is left of which item and you won’t find yourself suddenly out of a toiletry product. You will also be able to locate things much more easily without having to rummage through the cabinet. Having things arranged will generally give your bathroom cabinet a nice and decluttered look.

Placement is Important

Have a regular placement plan for your bathroom toiletries so that you know where each item goes. Also, larger bottles go at the back and the shorter ones stay at the front. Older items should also be at the front so that you use them up first before using the newer items.

Avoid Following ‘Trends’

If you have made something part of your daily bathroom routine — reading something in print format, say — you should indulge in it and make room for a book in your cabinet if you wish. After all, it’s your bathroom and bathroom sizes vary. At the same time, you need not feel obliged to go for something because Jack Nicholson did that in As Good As It Gets or because Goop or some celebrity talked about it.

Retro, Modern or In-Between

Shaving habits are something to keep in mind for both Him and Her since the hair on the bathroom floor or inside the bathroom cabinet may over time give it an ugly look. Shaving products and accessories are also likely to be among the most frequently used items — near daily — depending on your ‘style.’ Those items should be placed accordingly.

Be Aware of The Weather

Some bathroom toiletries may be designed with particular weather in mind — winter items should be consumed during one winter and summer products should be finished during one summer season. Products lying for nearly one year will only add to the bathroom cabinet clutter. This ties in with shopping for essentials mentioned above.

Clean Your Bathroom Cabinets Once a Year

You should do a thorough spring cleaning of your cabinet. This can be once a year or more frequently. You should empty your cabinet entirely and then ruthlessly get rid of those spur of the moment products you had purchased online or offline which you then stored in the cabinet but never used in the past six months.

Bathroom cabinets likely end up being hopelessly cluttered over a period of time only because people postpone the hassles involved. But really, it is easier to tidy things up when the mess is less — hence, you should give attention to your bathroom cabinet once a month as well as upon the change of seasons. Think of this as a task on a par with the regular changing of your fire alarm battery — only more frequent.